Democratic critics contend that Haslam’s confrontation-averse style has
allowed a right-wing state Legislature — and state Senate in particular —
to run amok in the aftermath of the 2010 tea party wave. However weak
the governor’s veto may be, Tennessee House Minority Leader Craig
Fitzhugh said he wished Haslam would do more to fight other Republicans’
“extreme positions.”

“For a governor with such high popularity and such a large majority in
the Legislature, he doesn’t pull the trigger too much on his opinions,”
said Fitzhugh, a possible Haslam challenger in 2014. “He’s got a much
calmer and kinder attitude [than other GOP governors], and I think he
genuinely has opinions that are much like mine on many issues. But you
know, he’s governor and right now, the governor’s not leading the state.
The state Senate’s leading the state.”